The Story of Stuff

One of the most eye-opening presetations I saw at this year's SEWSA conference was this short film called "The Story of Stuff" by Annie Leonard. It's less than 20 minutes long, but still one of the most effective demonstrations of the "underside" of our (really incredibly horrendous) production and consumption patterns. It's easy to understand, and it makes it pretty clear where, in the process of [extraction, production, distribution, consumption, and disposal] of our TONS of STUFF, public intervetion is necessary and actually possible. Click on that link at it will take you to the film. Check it out.. it will make even that little bit of consumer therapy seem really, really not worth it.

blog hiatus

Well, I hope everyone had a great Women's History Month! I can finally look out my window and see green leaves and sun instead of clouds, and bike riding is now less torturous and more sunshiney. I know haven't posted anything on here in quite a long while, but this time I'm not begging for sympathies. It was totally legit! Since my last post I have:

• changed my graduation plans
  
• landed a kick ass internship in New York for the summer
• successfully presented at SEWSA
• cut off and donated all my hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths
  
• scored a nanny job for next semester for quite possibly the cutest baby of all time
• decided on a topic for my bachelor's essay
• got a second interview for another job for next year
• saw Ghostland Observatory live
  
• gotten and successfully taken care of my very first pet for almost three months

As for some follow-up details: I will be spending the summer working as a (paid!) dean at the Sadie Nash Leadership Institute, an organization that works with young women ages 14-18 to basically equip them to become feminist leaders. The more I learned about them, and throughout the process of applying and interviewing, the more I realized how great the concept really was. They'll take classes like "Looks-ism," "The Zine Project," "Filmmaking to Make a Difference," and "Power, Identity and Privilege," meet with awesome women leaders from their communities, and participate in really cool workshops about activism and social justice. And the whole time they'll be guided by succesful female role models. I am really excited--not to mention, summer in the city! (Logistics, like what we're doing about rent on the house here in Chas, will be worked out at a later date.)

Also, here is our cat, Starlee (yes, named after Starlee Kine, one of my absolute favorite producers on This American Life--just look at all those awesome episodes she's contributed to!), my first pet and definite favorite so far.

She used to be so, so little, and I got to learn that kittens are perhaps the cutest little things until they get a little bigger and they realize how to climb things. (That time period is quite fleeting.)

Now she is so much bigger, at least three or four times that size, and after less than three months! I love her a ridiculous amount despite the fact that being responsible for another living creature is very nervewracking sometimes.

Once I get past these next few weeks' worth of research papers, presentations, and final projects, I will stop being so self-centered, I promise. Here is a treat to leave you with in the meantime. Imagine this plus a killer light show going on behind him, and you can see what our Ghostland experience was like in Athens. What a great show.